Page 38 of Ruthless Contract
Either Pasquale died.
Or I did.
And I had far too much to live for. I still had to be a best man at my brother’s wedding. I still had to find my Juliet and see if this thing between us was real or make-believe. I still had to finish avenging Marcel. I was needed by those I loved.
I wouldn't be the one dying tonight.
Gripping the steering wheel, I backed out of the driveway and headed toward the countryside. The roads gradually became emptier. Houses grew farther apart. Businesses disappeared altogether.
Before long, darkness and trees surrounded me. My thoughts remained fixed on Pasquale. The bastard had spent months pretending he was acting in the family's best interest. Months pretending his objections to the casino were about protecting the Cattaneo name.
All the while, he'd been working for the Corradinis. Every delay, every inspection, every legal challenge, every headache he'd caused me had been for that family, not ours. The farther I drove, the angrier I became.
Eventually, I turned onto a narrow road that cut through the woods. A few minutes later, I pulled off onto a dirt road and killed the engine. The estate was within sight now. I would continue the rest of the way on foot.
I grabbed my duffel bag from the trunk and slung it over my shoulder. After locking up the car, I slid my keys into my pants pocket. I pulled my gun out of the bag, attaching the silencer before starting toward the house.
The pain pill had fully kicked in now. My side no longer ached. I moved through the trees without feeling much of anything at all. Branches brushed against my clothing, scratching my arms.
I felt nothing.
Leaves crunched beneath my shoes. The forest grew quieter the deeper I went. When the trees finally began to thin, I slowed my pace and moved toward the edge of the tree line. There was Pasquale’s estate. Even from here, the place looked impressive.
Large. Expensive. Isolated.
Pasquale had built the perfect hideaway. It would also make the perfect place for him to die. I lowered the duffel bag to the ground and studied the property. On this side of the house, there was only one guard patrolling the area.
I crouched near the edge of the forest, right in front of the side gate, and continued watching the guard, waiting to make sure the motion detectors hadn’t been reactivated, and the camera’s loop hadn’t been caught and fixed by his men.
I waited there for five minutes. No one sounded the alarm. No one came looking for me, guns drawn. Everything was still working as it should be. Nobody knew I was there. My gaze drifted to an upstairs window.
Pasquale’s bedroom was on the other side of the house. My cam on that side had caught him standing in the window once,looking out while sipping coffee. Was he upstairs waiting for confirmation that I was dead?
Was he in there, feeling safe and secure, thinking this would be the night he ended Rome Cattaneo?
Probably.
Tonight, I would teach my cousin a valuable lesson. Being family didn’t make him untouchable. I had no problem killing family members who betrayed me or those close to me. After all, I was the Cattaneo who’d killed his own father.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
ROME
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It was almost time to act. I reached into my bag and retrieved my gloves, sliding them on. While putting on my gloves, I noticed the glass case in the duffel.Shit. I’d forgotten about the glasses.
I slid my work glasses off and set them in the bag, then opened the case and pulled on my shooting glasses. These moved less and wouldn't fall off in a fight. I placed my work glasses in the case and adjusted the strap at the back of my head.
They weren’t the most comfortable fit, but they got the job done. Gloves and shooting glasses on, I returned my gaze to my target. The guy guarding the west side of the house was standing still now, staring down at his phone.
He started texting, caught up in whatever he had going on in his life. Maybe it was woman problems. I hoped I never got so caught up in a woman that I put my life at risk by not paying attention to my surroundings.
My mind tried to drift to Juliet. I quickly shut that shit down. But ten pm was when we usually met for our nightly chat. However, she was too busy to meet me. She was the one distracted by life. Not me.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. No more thinking about her. I needed to focus. Opening my eyes, I adjusted my glasses and watched the guard continue to text, fingers flying over his device.
He turned my way, face down, still texting. I noticed the badge clipped to his shirt pocket. From here, I couldn’t read the name on it, but I knew I needed one of those if I wanted to get into the house without having to pick the lock and trigger the alarm.
